Sales people, at least the ones that I have met, love nothing more than to “Show Up” and “Throw up” all over their customers.
While amusing to watch this feature focused product/service dump, businesses are losing money each and every day that they continue to deploy this strategy because of these three simple words…
It. Doesn’t. Work.
For anyone who hasn’t seen Simon Sinek’s “Start With Why” presentation, make sure you watch it right away. (Click Here to view)
In short, the reason that feature selling and product dumps don’t drive a purchase is because people don’t buy with their rational brain, they buy based on feeling. Those feelings are completely disconnected to our ability to speak and that is why we can’t always express our decisions, even when we know they are right.
So how do we get closer to driving sales and happier customers?
First, we stop selling our features until we truly understand their needs.
Then we need to build an experience around their story, their belief on how your product or service should work.
Make Sense?
Let me give you an example.
My company, EC3, is a provider of IP Based Telephony and Communication Systems.
Our cloud based solution is amazing and it has every feature and capability under the sun. It takes pages and pages and pages just to list everything that can be done with our “UberSuperCool” system.
Guess what?
Most people don’t care and if I walk into a prospects office and tell them about all of the great features we have, they will probably tell me just that, “Who Cares” or some iteration of that because the features don’t make them want to buy.
So how about a different approach?
How about you ask the customer a question such as…
Mrs. Customer, tell me in your mind, how would the perfect communication system work for your company?
And then…Ssshhhhh, listen and see what happens next.
A series of questions to force them to further elaborate and share the “Story” of what communication should look like, you are now connecting emotionally to what matters and simultaneously learning about the customers’ needs.
This emotional connection creates an attachment to you, your service and then to those great features and benefits you offer.
Too often companies that don’t successfully sell their product or deliver great service fail to realize that it isn’t their product or their service that is holding them back. Rather it is their determined nature to focus on the product and service itself, rather than what is truly important.
And in case it hasn’t resonated yet, what is truly important is the ability for the customer to connect to you and your business.
Letting them tell the story gives you the ammunition you need to make the sale and to deliver better customer experience because you truly understand what they want.
Your story is the fastest way to sell more you…
And your customers story is the fastest way to help them, sell themselves.
Once they’ve done that, all your whiz bang features will be the icing on the cake.
And who doesn’t like icing?
